Sunday, 28 September 2014

Welcome to the September edition of
‘Who’s in my sidebar’! Lipsticks and Lashes now offers advertising packages,
and I am beyond excited to introduce this month’s sponsor, Shivon whose You
Tube channel is ‘shivonmakeupbiz’.
She was my wonderful advertiser last month and is back again!

This is my favourite bit of hosting
advertising on here, being able to share with you all some incredible blogs and
you tube channels!

What Shivon has to say...

“A creative You Tube
channel dedicated to make up tutorials, reviews and fashion posts. I'm 19, a
Gemini, love purple eye shadow and live in the South-East of England!”

I have become a regular
viewer of Shivon’s videos and I though
id share some of her recent videos that ive particularly enjoyed...

I shared this video with you all last month and i really think If you
only have time to only watch one of Shivon’s videos then please, please check
this one out! It pretty much sums up my love of makeup and why I’m a beauty
blogger!

If you’d like to
advertise with ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’ in October check out my sponsor page for more details and any questions
please get in touch!

For October only i am
offering free medium sized advertising! Just use the code FREEOCT

Friday, 26 September 2014

So today we are hitting the subject of periods, not
something I’ve really talked about here, but hey as the majority of people who
stop by here are of the female variety I figured you all wouldn’t mind!

The lovely Camilla over at GreenBlox recently got in
touch and asked if I would like to try out one of their monthly subscription
boxes. It turns out said subscription box is one to make sure you are well
supplied ready for your time of the month. Why on earth hasn’t this been done
before?! What a great concept! Especially for girls like me who are terrible at
keeping track of when they are due on and end up doing a panic dash to
supermarket each month for tampons!

GreenBlox
offer you a tailored box for your period flow, whether that is light, medium or
heavy. I went for heavy as I am unlucky and have the worst periods. Heavy and
last for ages, damn being a girl!! This month’s box was Etsy themed, now I love
Etsy. I have a shop on there myself and I adore the awesome home mind finds you
can come across on there. So I was a little excited!

The monthly plan is £9.99 and the £3.00 for postage, so all
together it will cost you £12.99 a month.

When it arrived it was in a heavily sellotaped box which was
a bit of a fight to get into. Then all the items in the box were individually
wrapped in mint green tissue paper, some however was ripped. I was a bit disappointed
in the packaging, given the high standard of subscription boxes these days I
was expecting a lot more. It made a look a bit cheap, which is a shame.

I love that they send chocolates! It’s just what I crave at
this time of the month! You also get a decent amount of tampons and pads which
is fab, I just kind of wish they came in something rather than loose. The lemongrass
handmade soap smells divine and the Grapeseed Oil is supposed to be amazing for
your skin so I can’t wait to try it!

Aside from the packaging, I love the concept of this box and
its reasonable priced for what you receive. It will definitely save me the
hassle of attempting to actually be organised!

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

I am obsessed
with accessories, whether its bags, jewellery or hair pieces, I think they can
really make an outfit! So it will probably come as no surprise that I am a huge
fan of Crown and Glory. Their hair pieces are just stunning and so funky and
original.

They are a
little on the expensive side so I’ve always managed to resist, but this will
power failed me in spectacular style when I discovered that Crown and Glory had
their own monthly subscription box! ‘Say what?!’ I hear you all say! YES A
MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOX! I have officially entered heaven!

The box is
named ‘The Glitterati’and its £20 a month which includes
postage and packaging!! It’s such a good deal! And inside the box is over £50
worth of hair goodies!

My first box didn’t
disappoint, I was sent the Intergalactic
Starlight Crown which I have been lusting after for ages! It’s sold on
their website for £15 so I couldn’t believe it when I spotted it in my package.
All together I was sent 5 pieces and I am so excited by each and every one of
them! There was a floral crown, a stunning floral hair clip, some glittery
mouse ears and a pair of little flower grips.

I was going
to be behaved and just get one monthand
then cancel my subscription, err I think I may be investing in a few more boxes
at this rate! This is one of the most exciting subscription boxes I’ve had for
a while!

Monday, 22 September 2014

So this weekend I’ve
felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. I have no idea why which makes me
feel kind of worse. I am surrounded by amazing people, I also love my own
company but this weekend I have felt horrendously lonely. It’s an awful feeling
but I am determined to try and remain positive.

I am going to ‘hang
in there’ as in this wonderful world you never know what’s around the corner
and sometimes you need to have these emotional lows in order to fully
appreciate the highs in life.

Sunday, 21 September 2014

I spotted this tag over on Hannah’s blog ‘Suitcase and Sandals’ (awesome
blog, go and see for yourselves!) and
having recently got back from Malta my wanderlust is worse than ever, so I figured
it was the perfect tag for me to have ago at! So here we go….

Your most treasured
passport stamp?

All of them! Am I allowed to say that, or is it a cop out?! I’ve
been very lucky and my passport has quite a few stamps in now covering Egypt,
USA, Tunisia, Canada, Australia, Thailand… all of the destinations have been
special to me for various reasons. I am ridiculously sad that I have to renew
mine next year! But I guess that means I am just going to have to try and fill
it again!

Can you recite your
passport # from memory if asked?

No I can’t! Can people actually do this one?!

Preferred method of
travel; planes, trains or automobiles?

Planes! It usually means I’m headed somewhere exciting! I
also get terrible coach sickness so that has to be my least favourite mode of
transport!

Top 3 travel items?

Passport, Sunglasses and bikini

Hostel or hotel?

Hostels are a great place to meet new people who are also
travelling, however as I’m getting older I do like a nice hotel! It’s nice not
to have to share a bathroom.

Are you a repeat
visitor or do you explore new places?

New places, definitely, I love to see and explore new places
and want to see as much of the world as I can.

Do you read up on
your destination (culture, history, safety) or do you wing it?

Hah I would love to say yes to this one but I am definitely
a wing it kind of traveller! I tend to talk to people and get recommendations
and tips that way. Sometimes it’s kind of nice to just turn up and explore, it
often leads you off the beaten track and into more fun!

If it’s a city I would say New York, it’s one of my
favourite places to visit, it has such a fantastic atmosphere and the shopping
is AMAZING!! For a beach resort I would say Koh Lanta in Thailand, it is
honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been to and defines ‘tropical paradise’.
You can check out my post on Koh
Lanta here.

You’re leaving
tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?

Everywhere!!! I would purchase a round the world ticket and
be a wandering soul for the rest of my life! Top of the list would be South
America, Florida, Bali and New Zealand.

Do you suffer from
wanderlust? Love to travel? If so, I now tag you to have a go at the wanderlust
tag! Make sure you let me know if you do!

Friday, 19 September 2014

You can tell it’s that time of month when all the Beauty Boxes are arriving! My last post was all about Septembers Birchbox and today’s posts is all about My Little Box. This is the first time I’ve received one of these and I have to admit that up until now I’ve been finding beauty boxes a little boring lately.

However that’s all changed upon receiving My Little Box, I was so excited when I saw all the treats inside and just check out the gorgeous illustrations, just beautiful and right up my street! As you’ve probably guessed already My Little Box is a monthly subscription, filled with a wonderful selection of beauty products, fashion accessories, personalised stationary and more.

Each month has a different theme, and this month they have chose Paris. I heart Paris so much, I’ve only been once when I was a lot younger but I remember its being such a romantic, magical city and that’s always stayed with me. I would love to return there one day.

So what did I receive.....

A gorgeous
blank notebook that has a beautiful illustration on the front.

A laptop
sleeve

Some super
cute Parisienne stickers

A beautiful Eiffel
tower illustration with an inspirational quote – I am going to frame this!

Laura Mercier
Foundation Primer 30ml – I received a tester of this one and loved it but
resisted buying the bigger version due to hefty price tag. I am beyond happy
when I found this was in my box, a large version of such a fab primer – very happy!!

Nuxe Huile
Prodigieuse – dry oil for your hair, face and skin. I have a growing obsession
with oils and can’t wait to try this one out!

My Little
Beauty Stylo Lumiere Pen – I can’t wait to apply this to my eye lids as a bit
of a primer and as well as a general skin brightener.

J’ADORE My
Little Parisienne Box and I can’t wait to see what comes next month! This is
definitely my new favourite subscription!

What do you think of this box? What’s your
favourite subscription box?

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Back in May I caved in and re-subscribed
to birchbox, I am so glad I did as every box I’ve received throughout the
summer has been filled with great pieces. Saying that though I have decided to
be a good girl and call time on my subscription, so this is the last one for a
while! I am on a mission to save and I am not sure the current numerous
subscriptions I have arriving on my doorstep constitutes being good with money!

Anyways, back to my box, I absolutely
adore the theme of this box! This month they’ve decided to follow the theme of ‘Happy
Days’. The perfect box to end summer with! It also comes with instructions with
how to turn your box into a photo frame, CUTE or what?!

So here is what I received inside September’s
Birchbox...

Agave Healing Oil Treatment – lightweight oil for your hair. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know
that I heart hair oils and am on a mission to grow my hair and keep it in great
condition.

Korres Citrus Shower gel – I am a bit of a fan of Korres products, they always smell so gorgeous
so can’t wait to start using this in the shower!

Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream – a product I’ve used before but am excited to see it
here! Works wonders on dark circles!

Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Serum – I’ve heard of this one and have wanted to try it
for a while, it’s supposed to enhance a healthy glow! Fingers crossed!

Model Co Lip Lacquer In ‘Morocco’ – I LOVE the shade of this lip product!

Urban Fruit Magnificent Mango – YUMMY!

Birchbox Happy Days Photo Clip – I am a photo hoarder! I love having photos of my
friends and family around me so am a sucker for anything like this!

I adore the little
lifestyle extras and hope Birchbox keep adding these to their future boxes, I
can’t wait to try all these out! Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes?

Monday, 15 September 2014

THIS!! I need
to remind myself of this daily. I am terrible guilty of being irritable and
grouchy lately. There’s been a few stressful things going on and it’s hard to
remain positive. I really do believe that the more you’re positive the more
positive things tend to happen. Life is pretty awesome and I need to focus on
that instead of getting fed up of the little things.

So I
challenge each and every one of you to look for the good in each situation! Let’s
be positive and have a happy week!

Sunday, 14 September 2014

Today’s been
the first day for me where it has started to feel a little bit like autumn. This
makes me feel so miserable! I know we have been incredible lucky with all the
beautiful weather we’ve had this summer and I for one have tried to make the
most of it!

I don’t know what’s
making me feel all autumnal today, vie woken up with a slight cold and have
just had a massive roast dinner and there is a slight chill in the air. It’s the
kind of weather where you want to get comfy on the sofa with your duvet, a cup
of tea and a good movie! Don’t get me wrong its nice not to feel guilty doing
this like you would when the suns shining outside! This also pretty much sums
up what I’m doing right now!

However I am
not ready to give up on summer just yet! I am definitely happier in the summer,
I tend to suffer terrible with the winter blues and I hate it! Therefore I am
here to declare that I am going to hold onto summer for as long as possible. Today
vie been in shorts and flip flops, I am going to be that nutter who wears these
staples for as long as possible.

I love the
flip lops I’m wearing in the above photo, they are from Ipanema who make the most unbelievable
comfortable flip flops and these ones are their tropical women’s flip flop in
Turquoise/Lime. They will definitely brighten
things up as we turn into the colder months!

I love summer
so much, people are more social, everyone wants to be outside doing fun
activities and people are generally in such better moods! For now I am going to
make the most of being outside as much as I possible can before the weather
gets any colder!

How do you
feel about the changing seasons? Are you dreading it as much as I am?

After
watching one of my favourite films ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ and
feeling a bit ‘meh’ after pairing up everyone for the latest round of The
Bloggers Snail Mail. There was an even number of sign ups so I’ve had to sit
this round out, boo! It’s left me feeling a little deflated as I LOVE meeting
new bloggers and sending fun things in the post. So I have come up with a fun
new game to play!!

Whether this
works or not depends on you lovely lot!

So here’s my
idea...

I have a book
that I would love to be sent from blogger to blogger. Each blogger fills in a
page of the book with who they are, where they are from, where they blog and a
bit about themselves. I would also like the blogger to add their favourite
inspirational quote, I love to spread a little positivity!

When you have
completed your page you then need to find another blogger who is up for joining
in and send the book to them via post! I would love to see this book travel the
world, so try and send it to someone who lives quite far away from you!

Once you have
completed your page and sent it off to the next blogger, write about it in a
blog post! That way we can all see where the book has travelled to, just add
your link to the link up below!

Here are my
pages...

I think this
could be really fun so If you would like to be the first blogger I send this to
then please get in touch!

Friday, 12 September 2014

As someone who spends a ridiculous amount of time browsing the interweb I
am often finding little gems and articles of wonder. Therefore I thought id
share some of my favourite links of late with you all! Yes I do have a slight
obsession with cute animals, children and weddings!

3. Hairy
Fairy Weymouth – this wonderful woman has beensharing
the truth about PCOS & its embarrassing symptoms. She has gone for over a
month without removing her excess hair on her face and body in a bid to raise
money and get people talking about Poly Cystic Ovaries. It’s an interesting
read and I admire her feat.

4. 11 stunning photos of a wedding in the wilderness
– this couple decided to elope and get married in Iceland. The photos that
followed are just breath taking. Their surroundings look so stunningly
beautiful, it makes me want to take a trip to Iceland myself! It also kind of
helps that the couple themselves are pretty gorgeous anyway!

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

The lovely Darcel from Haute Wrap
Results sent me a body wrap to try out. I’d seen a lot of reviews which were
mostly positive, about people losing inches from using them. I was a little
sceptical but was keen to try it for myself!

Darcel sent me a link to her website where there is a
video on how to use the wrap and properly apply it. The idea is the wrap tones,
tightens and firms, so I was excited if it would work on my tubby tummy!

Contrary to what I first thought, it was
actually really easy to apply. You need to decide on what area you will apply
the Ultimate Body Applicator Wrap to, then wash and dry the area thoroughly. You
can then open the pouch that contains the wrap and unfold it. The applicator
has one side that’s covered in lotion and that’s the side that needs to be
applied to your body, I chose my lower tummy. After smoothing it out over my
skin I then made sure it was tight and held in pace by wrapping plastic
wrap/cling film around me. This felt a little off but it was secure. I then
left it on for the recommended 45 minutes.

The wrap smells like witch hazel and
has a cold tingle sensation against the skin, which was strangely relaxing. After
the 45 minutes I removed the wrap and rubbed in the remaining lotion to my
skin. I have to tell you the lotion acted as a fab moisturiser, my skin felt
lovely and smooth after. To top it off I also lost 1 inch from around my
tummy!!!!

I am so chuffed with the results and
they recommend you use one every 72 hours alongside a healthy diet and exercise
for the best results. I will definitely be looking into trying this out more
regularly and the results are great! I know it’s not a long term fix but for a
night out it you want to feel a little more toned then this is perfect.

Monday, 8 September 2014

Lately things haven’t been quite going
my way, I feel like I’m a massive rut and not sure how to change it. I love today’s
quote as things might be a ‘no’ today but I believe that everything happens for
a reason and there are bound to be better things around the corner. It reassures
me and it helps me find a bit of positivity in a bad situation.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

So it’s that time of year when my bloglovin and blogger
feeds are filled with blog posts about university and hyping it up in every
possible way. It’s an exciting change and I can see why there is so much noise
around it, however it makes me kind of cringe inside.

Here is why, so I’m not some anti uni type, I went to uni
and am glad I did but I wasn’t a great experience for me! I thought id share
it with you all, I hope it doesn’t come across as too negative as I’m a pretty
positive, happy person, I just feel like sharing my story with you all. I just
want to put it out there that uni isn’t for everyone and actually that’s okay!

I went to uni a couple of years later than most of my
friends as I tooktime out to go
travelling, on returning I felt I needed to be doing something productive and wasn’t
keen on returning home for full time work. Instead I applied to uni and got
into Bristol so off I headed. Just before I did, I was dumped out of the blue, I
was in a long term relationship head over heels in love and just didn’t see it
coming. I was heartbroken and a complete train wreck, some might think this was
perfect timing for a fresh start but I was a mess. This made enjoying the fresher’s
week and the likes pretty much impossible, my heart wasn’t in it and looking
back now it took me a very long time to get over it.

Also whilst at university I was a hormonal nightmare, I was
all over the shop and felt I had no control over my emotions. Turns out I had
an underactive thyroid which is basically a hormone, so when it’s not at the
right level like mine it can really play with. I actually thought I was a head
case at the time, imagine PMS times 1000. It made it hard to feel normal and level
headed. I didn’t get diagnosed with this until after uni but it’s nice to
understand why I was the way I was now!

Finally I applied for my course on a whim, I thought it was
what I wanted at the time but I ended up not enjoying it fully. The course I
studied was for a particular profession and was very intense. There were parts
of it that were fab but the rest I didn’t like at all. I came out with a 2:2 at
the end and am glad I stuck it out and got the qualification. I would be doing
what I am now without it.

I think it was just a lonely experience for me, I had some
wonderful friends there and they were amazing people. I just struggled and
never felt fully at home. I did have
some pretty fun times so it wasn’t all bad, in general I was very lucky, just
in hindsight it wasn't a high point in my life. Looking back (isn't it funny how it all becomes a little clearer then?!) I've also realised that I am a pretty creative person and that a life of academia massively stifled this, it also didn't help that I get bored quite easily, I constantly need to be challenged, Its how I thrive.

Saying all this I don’t regret going to university, I wouldn’t
have got my current job, or even be who I am now without that experience. I
genuinely don’t believe in regrets. I guess the purpose of me writing this post
is to say that University can be awesome but it’s not for everyone and can be
hard going if your hearts not in it.

I just want people to follow their hearts and know that
everything happens for a reason and contrary to all the hype out there at the
moment, uni isn’t the be all and end all! If one person reads this and can
relate then that’s why I’m writing this post, so people don’t feel alone. There
is so much hype about how amazing uni is and what an experiencee it is, I just
want people to know that it’s okay if you’re not enjoying it, if you find it
hard and it’s not all sparkles and glitter.

I apologise for the waffle and hope it makes sense? If nothing else, its been pretty therapeutic for me putting all this into words. Odd post for me hey! But I would love to hear about others
experiences of uni?

Friday, 5 September 2014

So a few weeks ago now I jetted off for 10 days in
Malta with my friend and her 10 year old son.

Apologies for the lack of incredible photos, I daren't
call myself a true blogger! To be honest for the majority of the 10 days the
most I moved from my sun lounger was to grab a bottle of water or have a dip in
the Pool to cool down. I really wanted to just switch off from life for a
while, from work, my blog, my home life, from it all and I really did! So my
camera didn't make it out much and I tended to use my phone for the few pics I
did snap, so I apologise for the quality!

We stayed at the Luna hotel apartments, which
we got for a really reasonable price and were really lovely. We went self
catering which suited our needs and there was a shop next to the hotel so we
just picked up a few bits to keep us going from there.

Our big day out was to the Aqua Park, which is a
great day out and id recommend for any age. On the bus over there I got chatted
up by a gorgeous foreign man, who had the most beautiful eyes and made me go
super giggly! Sadly he didn’t speak a word of English and I didn’t have a
clue what language he was speaking but we definitely had a moment!

The whole holiday was very relaxed and chilled out.
Amazing how getting away you can really switch off and get a proper mellow
feeling. I'm so used to running around juggling a thousand things that I forget
that having some me time and being relaxed once and a while is so important for
your well being.

I'd really recommend a trip to Malta, we did it
pretty cheap with Ryan air flights and booking the hotel directly. We also went
self catering and cooked for ourselves which was super easy and meant keeping
out budget down. Malta is a really pretty country, most people spoke English
and you can easily get around the Island on the buses which run regularly and
only cost €1.50 for a day ticket!

I am
now looking at what to do next year, I am desperate to go off travelling for a
few months and I have a few ideas in the pipeline but I shall wait and see
before I share with you all!

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Today’s nails are
painted in Avon Speed Dry Nail Polish in Yellow Mystique. I am desperately
trying to hold onto summer and I can’t stress how much I hate this autumnal
weather that seems to have come our way. Hence the bright yellow nails!

I am still umming and
aaahing over this colour, it’s a canary yellow with glitter specks in it. It’s
also ridiculously translucent which I was a bit disappointed about. I was
hoping it would be quite a solid block colour. On the plus side it applies
easily and it’s really quick drying as promised!

Not sure I’ll be
using this colour again though as not sure it’s really me. Have you ever
sported yellow nails?

Monday, 1 September 2014

So for the last week
you may have notice I went a bit AWOL and didn’t blog….what do you mean you didn’t
notice?! Any way I gave myself a week off, well not completely, I have spent a
ridiculous amount of time this past week match making for The Bloggers Snail
Mail, and all those who have signed up should have received an email by now
with your new buddy’s details! If you missed out this round there will be
another one coming up the beginning of December.

Sorry I digress! So apart
from The Bloggers Snail Mail, I haven’t written a single post, taken one photo
or joined in a twitter chat. I gave myself some well earned time off, and do
you know what? For the first time ever I’m actually ok with that! I usually get
terrible bloggers guilt when I don’t blog, if I haven’t got a few posts up each
week, but I’ve been feeling burnt out and just massively needed to switch off
from this virtual world and enjoy some time in the real world! It has been awesome,
I’ve had a spa day, I went to a water park, I headed up to London with one of
my besties to see my sister and check out London Dungeons. I also got a haircut
and indulged in a lazy weekend catching up on TV shows like Doctor Who. I can’t
explain how much I needed that time out! It has made me come back and sit down
at my lap top excited about what I want to blog next and with some fresh ideas.

I think we are all
guilty of doing too much and not taking a little me time every now and then. So
I would like to challenge you all to take a little time out and do something
fun for yourself, and then tell me about it in the comments below?! I would
love to hear about it!

Also can we get a
quick mention in that it’s the 1st September already!!! THE 1ST
SPETMBER!! This freaks me out so much, time is just flying by this year and it’s
mad. It makes me want to live life to the full and embrace every moment even
more!